<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening glimpses of Japanese culture in 1965.
Review: Almost 40 years old, this novel has no scenes of violence or sex--or humor! The language and style are very formal, and the characters, virtually all male, are generic, not individualized--not surprising in a culture in which "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." Nearly all the characteristics one associates with the best modern mystery thrillers are absent here, yet Takagi's novel is fascinating and its plot intriguing, both for the inherent complexities and for the light shed on Japanese business and culture in 1965.
When Shigeo Segawa, a failed stocktrader, is offered a job at an outrageous salary, he finds himself working, not surprisingly, as an industrial spy, ferreting secrets from Shichiyo Chemical, a company in which a college friend is a high official. Segawa shows no qualms of conscience, despite the fact that Eiko, the love of his life, is now married to the friend. Manipulating the women in his life, all of whom are regarded throughout the novel as brainless ornaments or conveniences, he also fails, eventually, at his spy tasks, becoming the prime suspect when his friend turns up murdered. When two more deaths further implicate Segawa, Takagi shows his enormous skill at creating red herrings, using the intricacies of corporate Japan and the traditional restraint of police and prosecutors to keep the reader occupied and diverted.
Differences in legal procedures are stunning here. The police abandon the crime scene because "people were showing up to pay respects [to the widow]...and the atmosphere was no longer suitable." Police and prosecutors make appointments to speak to clients' lawyers and wait patiently till they can be seen. The police give details of confessions to people they are interviewing and seem to share information with whoever wants it. Industrial espionage by itself is not a crime. Careful readers may figure out early who is responsible for the murders, but this novel provides unusual glimpses of Japanese culture, enough to keep a curious reader fascinated and involved till the end. Mary Whipple
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening glimpses of Japanese culture in 1965.
Review: Almost 40 years old, this novel has no scenes of violence or sex--or humor! The language and style are very formal, and the characters, virtually all male, are generic, not individualized--not surprising in a culture in which "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down." Nearly all the characteristics one associates with the best modern mystery thrillers are absent here, yet Takagi's novel is fascinating and its plot intriguing, both for the inherent complexities and for the light shed on Japanese business and culture in 1965.When Shigeo Segawa, a failed stocktrader, is offered a job at an outrageous salary, he finds himself working, not surprisingly, as an industrial spy, ferreting secrets from Shichiyo Chemical, a company in which a college friend is a high official. Segawa shows no qualms of conscience, despite the fact that Eiko, the love of his life, is now married to the friend. Manipulating the women in his life, all of whom are regarded throughout the novel as brainless ornaments or conveniences, he also fails, eventually, at his spy tasks, becoming the prime suspect when his friend turns up murdered. When two more deaths further implicate Segawa, Takagi shows his enormous skill at creating red herrings, using the intricacies of corporate Japan and the traditional restraint of police and prosecutors to keep the reader occupied and diverted. Differences in legal procedures are stunning here. The police abandon the crime scene because "people were showing up to pay respects [to the widow]...and the atmosphere was no longer suitable." Police and prosecutors make appointments to speak to clients' lawyers and wait patiently till they can be seen. The police give details of confessions to people they are interviewing and seem to share information with whoever wants it. Industrial espionage by itself is not a crime. Careful readers may figure out early who is responsible for the murders, but this novel provides unusual glimpses of Japanese culture, enough to keep a curious reader fascinated and involved till the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing and intelligent
Review: Having failed as both a stockbroker and an entrepreneur, Segawa is desperate for money and takes on the morally dubious job of an industrial spy. His target is a secret chemical process of a company run by his old friend Ogino. To complicate matters, Ogino is married to Segawa's former girlfriend. When Ogino is murdered, Segawa becomes the prime suspect. In a fast-moving plot involving adultery and betrayal, we learn fascinating details of Japanese culture such as the Kabutocho (the Japanese Wall Street), industrial espionage and the Japanese legal system. The criminal investigation by prosecutor Kirishima and inspector Yoshioka proceeds in an orderly and logical manner and builds up to a tense and dramatic conclusion. The reader is kept guessing until the very end in this intriguing and intelligent mystery. Readers who enjoy this book will also enjoy the other two available translations of Takagi's works, namely "The Tatoo Murder Case" and "The Honeymoon to Nowhere".
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and Suspenseful
Review: Having failed as both a stockbroker and an entrepreneur, Segawa is desperate for money and takes on the morally dubious work of an industrial spy. His target is the secret chemical process of a company run by his old friend Ogino. To complicate matters, Ogino is married to Segawa's former girlfriend. When Ogino is murdered, Segawa becomes the chief suspect. In a fast-moving plot involving betrayal and adultery, we catch fascinating glimpses of Japanese culture, such as the Kabutocho (or "Japanese Wall Street"), industrial espionage, and the Japanese legal system. The investigation by prosecutor Kirishima and inspector Yoshioka proceeds in a steady logical manner that builds up to a tense and dramatic conclusion when they finally corner their quarry! The story is suspenseful and will keep the reader guessing until the very end. "The Informer" is a very clever and enjoyable mystery. Readers who enjoy this novel will also enjoy the other two available English translations of Takagi's work, namely "The Tattoo Murder Case", and "The Honeymoon to Nowhere".
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Goethe, where are thou?
Review: I greatly enjoyed reading Takagi's classic "Tattoo Murder Case" and the engaging ""Honeymoon to Nowhere" and was looking forward to this writer's final mystery in the Soho line up. Yet, in despite of the same strong writing and atmosphere, the plot of the Informer disappointed me greatly. Based on a true story, this novel reads like a recast Faust in the environment of 1960s Japanese business that involves stock market fraud and industrial spying. I really like Takagi's style that other reviewers have described as old-fashioned and overly formal. The characters may be rather one-dimensional, but the writer succeeds well in generating an atmosphere of mystery and in evoking the terror of this books main character. Yet, maybe due to my familiarity with Goethe's Faust or due to years of occupational exposure to intrigue in American Biotech industry, the plot was frightfully transparent to me. In despite of the author's talent, his attempts to keep the "informer" out of the spotlight were not spent on me. Actually, I cannot remember a mystery where the identity of the crook was inevitable just 20 pages into the book. Thus, I again enjoyed Takagi's writing, but think that his choice to recast a real live situation into a novel resulted in a rather tepid mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and enjoyable, but ending left me hanging
Review: I really enjoyed this book until the last few pages or so. It reads kind of like Harushi (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) Murakami throughout most of it - very interesting examination of Japanese society, believable characters with real, every day kinds of issues and problems, etc. But the end had one major disappointment, that being that the reader is left wondering what in the world becomes of one of the key characters in the book. It doesn't really impact the "mystery" aspect of the story, it's just that it left me with a lack of a sense of closure about this one central character. Other than that, I thought it was a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and enjoyable, but ending left me hanging
Review: I really enjoyed this book until the last few pages or so. It reads kind of like Harushi (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) Murakami throughout most of it - very interesting examination of Japanese society, believable characters with real, every day kinds of issues and problems, etc. But the end had one major disappointment, that being that the reader is left wondering what in the world becomes of one of the key characters in the book. It doesn't really impact the "mystery" aspect of the story, it's just that it left me with a lack of a sense of closure about this one central character. Other than that, I thought it was a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Strong of Setting, Weak on Mystery
Review: Originally published in 1965, this superbly translated mystery does a better job of displaying its 1960s Tokyo business world setting than it does of providing a satisfying mystery. For the modern American reader, the formality and attention paid to manners by the characters might seem more at place in an cozy old Agatha Christie village murder. Indeed, the importance of hierarchy and respect in Japanese culture (not to mention the role of women) is fully evoked in this tale of an industrial spy and his love life. Unfortunately, Takagi relies far too much on unlikely coincidences and relationships to resolve the multiple murders--although not quite as much as Seicho Matsumoto does in "Inspector Imanishi Investigates." Keen readers will, in any event, deduced the solution long before the end.
<< 1 >>
|
